Ever since October 7th, the decades long conflict over Israel and Palestine has been brought back into the public consciousness. No matter what side of the issue you fall on, it’s a complex issue that is perpetuating an endless cycle of conflict, killing, and continued hate. While everyone sees the attack on that date as a hateful act, it has allowed people to reflect over the last 80 years of the creation of Israel, the Nakba, the occupation, and Palestinian resistance/terrorism. Palestinian American director Cherien Dabis examines the Palestinian diaspora through the eyes of one family over three generations in her feature debut film All That’s Left of You.
All That’s Left of You begins with an elderly woman named Hanan (Cherien Dabis herself acting as well as writing and directing the film) speaking directly to the camera (and an unknown character at that time) stating that in order to understand why she is speaking to them, she needs to tell them the whole story of her family so that they (and the audience) can understand her perspective. From there we are transported to 1988 during a protest within the West Bank as her son Noor (Muhammad Abed Elrahman) and his friend are met with Israeli tanks and soldiers with guns as soldiers are pointing guns at an angry crowd hurling rocks and we all know it’s about to hit the fan.
From there, we go back to 1948 with Noor’s grandfather Sharif (Adam Bakri), who runs his own orange farm (one that even Queen Elizabeth purchases oranges from his business). Gunfire and shelling are happening in the background as at that time the Zionist militia revolution was going on, and many Palestinians are fearful of being chased from their land in Jaffa. Many of the Palestinian are confident that neighboring Arab armies will come to their aid, but they also speak of being betrayed by the British and many are fearful they will have to leave their land or face certain death. In the aftermath, their land was taken over, those who escaped to neighboring countries were lucky, others were forced into settlements in the West Bank (and some are even forced into slave labor to build the camps they will eventually have to settle into).
Fast forward 30 years, a now older Sharif (Mohhamad Bakri), his grown son Salim (Saleh Bakri), his wife Hanan, and their son Noor (Sanad Alkabareti) are living in a ghetto in the West Bank. Sharif is telling young Noor stories of his orange farm while the family is adjusting to life in the Occupied West Bank territory. It’s hard for Sharif, Salim, and Hanan as they know how life was before Israel took over, but for young Noor, it’s a daily way of life, and a life that he doesn’t like or respect. When Salim is mistaken over a daily curfew time and is subjected to humiliation by Israeli soldiers (or death), his son Noor loses respect for his father and his anger festers. The time period of 1978 in All That’s Left of You gives a great examination of what can radicalize a person against what they felt is an injustice. It’s an easy way to see how in 1988 Noor in his teenage years is so disconnected from his parents which have seemed to be adjusted to handing their IDs to soldiers, living under a curfew, and not having any freedom, and want to do something drastic about it.
The reminder of All That’s Left of You showcases the heartbreaking aftermath of the riot in 1988 and how trauma has surrounded this whole family over the decades because of occupation of the West Bank. The focus is 99% on this one family and the Palestinian people and director Cherien Dabis does not even attempt to showcase both sides as there isn’t even a sympathetic Israeli soldier. In fact, anytime an Israeli citizen is show (until the end of the film), they are mostly nameless (almost faceless) representations of the Israeli government, from instituting ID checkpoints, to approving travel between the region, to delaying medical care unless approval from the government. While All That’s Left of You is a fictitious story, it feels very real and lived in. A correct assumption would be that Cherien Dabis relies on passed down stories from family and friends about their experiences being denied their own homeland and the impact of colonialism/settler occupation has had on their lives.
All That’s Left if You final setpiece is set in 2022, and gives the impression that it’s going to possibly lead up to the events of October 7th, but the film ends on a more hopeful yet somber note as those who remain from the family reconcile with their lives and how it has been being under occupation and escaping occupation. One key line mentioned towards the end when debating engaging in revenge and retribution against the Israeli government was “Your Humanity Is Also Resistance,” and one of the key takeaways from the film. Even when facing unspeakable tyranny one should try to strive to retain their humanity, which causes the film to end of a hopeful note that maybe, just maybe, things will get better for that region. One day will tell.
All That’s Left of You is now playing in select theaters.
